Sales Sales Sales! When do we actually get a good bargain?

The "Sales" madness takes place from time to time throughout the year. 

While some shops have specific times of the year they make offers, others make announcements a day or two before any planned sale. There are other shops that are very sporadic in making offers, they do not announce these as such but constantly reduce prices. There are also those that have the "Sales" sign displayed permanently throughout the year. 

For example:

NEXT has "Big Sales" scheduled every year.

M&S also has "Big Sales" and intermediary ones which may or may not be announced. 

Fashion shops, among others, sell off stock at the end of every season, apparently, to make space for new stock for the coming season. When closing down or expecting huge supply, some shops also make offers to reduce stock. 

Overall, offers can vary from half price to buy 1 get 1 free, buy 1 get 1 half price, buy 3 at the price of 2, 20%-70% reduction, etc. 

While the offers look very genuine and attractive, does one really have time to compare prices before and during the Sale period to know the saving? Definitely not! Maybe by chance! 

At the shops or online, I keep checking and evaluating to find out if there is an actual reduction for every individual item, which is difficult to determine. 

For those shops that have permanent "Sales" signs outside or boldly inscribed on the door. Three things come to my mind: they are lying about the offer, only trying to lure customers to buy or their goods are not good enough. For me, this does not give a good impression. With that sign constantly there, I believe that they can only attract people new in the respective areas. 

What is your opinion and experience?

Exercising to lose weight or keep fit?

People have different ways of looking after their health; be it by regulating what and how they eat, exercising or even taking pills. As a non-professional athlete, I go jogging. 

Some time ago, I tried (from work) to go to the gym at lunch time. It turned out to be very tedious because of the distance and time spent changing into and out of the training gear during such a short period of time. At the end of the day, I ended up working out fewer minutes than expected. 

I tried going after work but the timing and distance did not suit me as I ended up going home very late.  

Finally, I decided to go jogging in the area where I live. I go in the evening after work during the week. From my daily schedule, it is impossible to go first thing in the morning, but I sometimes go in the morning at the weekend. The only one thing that can stop me is the rain; I hate jogging when it is raining. 

Some people say that jogging affects the muscles and the knees. Others say that it can firm the body and strengthen the muscles, but with no noticeable weight lost.  

I know that there are options of going to classes and doing other types of exercise in the gym but I opted for jogging mainly because it is done outdoors (with some fresh air) and the timing suits my schedule. It works perfectly for me. 

Are you exercising with "losing weight" or "keeping fit" in mind? 

I do not know about you, but I try to keep my mind off losing weight and focus on keeping fit because of the stress and anxiety involved in trying to figure out if the number on the scale has dropped or not. I can easily tell from the fitting of my clothes and my outlook if things are working. 

Do you check your weight every day? 

This can be frustrating. You will end up hating, cursing and throwing the scale out of the window. 

What type of exercise do you prefer and how do you feel about it?

Morning Blues! How do you handle this?

Are you wondering what "morning blues" means?

You must have felt it every now and again without realising it. 

It is this feeling (not in the mood…) that you have in the morning when you get ready to start the day, most especially after a short or long break. 

Monday is the most common day of the week that people have morning blues when returning to their daily routines after the weekend.  

During the weekend we always have a lot to do (domestic chores, shopping, fun activities like family outings, late night parties etc.). After this short and nice break from the hustle and bustle of life, some people find it difficult to immediately switch back to the work/school mode. It takes some time for the body and soul to adjust again!

The same feeling applies when returning from holidays which could be on any other day of the week. This may or may not be too difficult (depending on how long one has been away and where one spent the days off) as one might have had enough of the break and looked forward to going back. 

Some people might say that it is not a big deal going back to their daily routines after a break while others might maintain that they always feel happy, energetic and motivated. The point, though, (if you search your mind) is not if you return to your daily routine or not, but how you actually feel that morning you are returning. 

For me, I feel like staying longer in bed. But my body gradually starts to adjust after I have taken my shower and, eventually, my breakfast.

Some people must take coffee or tea after waking up before they can do anything. 

Do you normally remember to sort out the clothes you will wear the previous day? 

Sometimes I do forget and end up searching and rushing to dress up. 

Are you always up to date with your schedule for the day?

I make it a point to have a "to do" list done on Friday. I check the list on Monday morning. 

How else do you deal with this situation?

Best ways of establishing credibility in what we do!

The way people are evaluated depends greatly on what they say and do. We know more about people when we deal directly with them. 

Gaining people's confidence is very vital, especially in business. 

In my opinion, one of the ways of gaining credibility, that is, trust and confidence in business is by being truthful and honest. Every business man or woman has to learn to keep to his or her words at all times. If for any genuine reason(s) one cannot fulfil one's obligations, courtesy demands that all parties involved should be notified. 

Another way of gaining trust is by being transparent in dealing with others. For example, do not allow your business partner to find out any information, which you should have revealed, from another source. Hiding information when dealing with others will make them lose confidence in you. 

The other very important factor is being punctual. Some people might say that this is not a problem, but business cannot be delayed and one does not waste another person’s time unnecessarily. It is advisable that one keeps to appointment times and informs all parties involved if running late.  

In every successful business relationship, all parties must be reachable at all times either by phone or via email. Bear in mind that if you do not pick your calls, return missed calls or respond to emails, people will not bother to deal with you. 

What else can you think of?

Challenges in relationships: to what extent are you willing to compromise?

The beginning of every relationship is always fantastic with both parties exploring to find out more about each other. Some relationships break up sooner or later while others wax stronger and stronger. 

There are so many challenges in every relationship. To me, the greatest of all is compromising one's dreams and aspirations in other to make a relationship work. For relationships that have transformed into marriages, lack of compromise usually leads to separations and divorces. 

Everyone has a dream. In spite of love, what happens if you find out that you have to sacrifice your dream in your relationship? 

It calls for love, trust, understanding and compromise to evaluate and accept any new turn of events. 

I heard the story of this woman who, in my opinion, is a classic example.

She started dancing at a very young age (at the age of 2, I think). She was a great young dancer who aspired to continue with that career. She fell in love, got married and started having kids at a young age. In as much as we can say that it was her personal decision and choice, one can also argue that she could have insisted on either not having kids at all or having them at a later age. 

Anyway, she stopped her dancing career to look after the kids and family. When her husband died (may his soul rest in peace), she decided to go back to dancing since her kids are all grown up. Watching her dance at her current age (in her 80's) is amazing. This proves that she is a natural talent. You can never imagine that she can perform her choreography and moves. 

Because of her understanding and love for her husband and family, she sacrificed her dream when she was still young and more energetic. As destiny and nature has it, she is still able to continue and realise this precious dream of hers. 

What other compromise can you think of?

Bouncy castles: what a joy for people of all ages!

Children of all ages love playing in bouncy castles. Children are always excited about parties (birthday, first holy communion, confirmation, etc.); very much so when there is a bouncy castle. 

There are different sizes for different age groups. Due to the nature of these bouncy castles, it is advisable to have kids of the same age bounce together because the younger ones might get hurt while they are playing. Usually, the age of the celebrant determines the size to be mounted. 

In parties where there are younger ones in attendance, they will definitely be tempted to join the older ones to play. In this case, an adult must be on site to supervise them. 

It is fun watching kids bounce around - I like watching them!

One daunting task, though, is trying to stop them once they have started playing. In almost all such parties I have attended, kids literally refused to go home with their parents. Many of them ended up crying and being dragged home. 

As the kids grow older, they (especially as young adults) might be worried that they will gradually start missing the fun because of age restriction. 

Good news! There are also bouncy castles for adults!!

Have you, as an adult, tried it?